Apple Could Face iPad Ban in China over Naming Dispute

Apple faces an extended court battle after the original owner of the iPad brand - Proview Technology - claims to still own it within China - potentially leading to a nationwide ban of the popular tablet.

This is a complete turnaround for Apple, a company that is often on the other end of legal proceedings - as it attempts to get competitor products banned in big markets. In this instance though, it's going to have to work hard to keep the iPad on sale in the country that has a potential market place of over a billion people.

Apple never originally owned the iPad brand name, having bought the rights to it from a Taiwanese firm that's partnered with Proview. However, the Chinese firm is now claiming it still owns the name within China and therefore Apple has no right to use it there.

Apple's counter argument is that Proview should have transferred the name rights in China and the fact that it hasn't sold its own IPAD for several years suggests this suit is frivolous. Considering Proview is thought to be in quite serious debt, the idea that this court battle is being exploited as a potential revenue stream might not be too far from the truth.

This is a battle that's been ongoing for a while now, with Proview being shot down in some courts already. However, The Telegraph reports that the Chinese firm plans to continue its legal action in other provincial courts - prolonging this naming convention argument for now.